INDEPENDENCE, Ohio -- Maybe now, the Cavaliers can finally, at long last, turn the page.

With Kyrie Irving and Tristan Thompson introduced as the two newest members of the team Friday, with two of the top four picks in the NBA draft officially in Cleveland, there is new direction, a plan, and players to build around. No more scrambling, no more patching holes.

Maybe now, with two new faces of the franchise, all of Cleveland can forget about that Player Who Left.

"We're constantly looking forward -- day by day, brick by brick for us to get a little bit better every day," General Manager Chris Grant said. "Today was a chance to add two high-quality humans to the organization -- and they just happen to be really good basketball players. So for us, that's part of the process."

That process meant building the franchise around No. 1 pick Irving, a talented 19-year-old point guard from Duke who was the player the Cavaliers never wavered in wanting to select first. It meant adding the energetic Thompson, the pick at No. 4, who surprised many experts by going so high but whom Grant said was targeted all along by the team.

"We actually had him ranked much higher than fourth, to be perfectly honest," Grant said. "He's a player who basically since high school we have been tracking and watching. We just love what he's about and how he would fit into our organization. This was a very easy pick."

Grant stressed time and again how character was equally as important as talent when selecting the two picks who are going to be the cornerstone of the franchise for years to come. He repeatedly said how both players possessed mature qualities that will help them to be leaders.

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Irving displayed a smooth and calm demeanor immediately. As the Cavaliers presented Irving and Thompson with their jerseys -- Irving will wear No. 15 while Thompson is No. 13 -- in front of a crowd of season-ticket holders and guests at the team's practice facility, Irving's father, Drederick, noticed something awry.

He motioned toward his son with a quick nod, and Irving casually and quickly zipped up the pants of his dark gray suit with few noticing the faux pas.

On the court, coach Byron Scott was wowed immediately by Irving's poise.

"He's a true point guard in every sense of the word," Scott said. "You could see had great court vision, he really understands how to run an offense, he commanded that respect from his teammates."

Which is not to say that Scott expects Irving to immediately be the starting point guard. Veteran Baron Davis will not only mentor Irving, but will compete against him.

"We'll let them fight it out," Scott said. "There's no expectation on Kyrie to start. We expect Kyrie to come in and work hard, get better each and every day, and learn from some of the veterans we have. There is an opportunity, probably, because of the way I coach for him to play with Baron, as well. If you could have both those guys in the backcourt they can both handle the ball and both make great decisions -- and it makes us a better basketball team."

Although Thompson, 20, played just one year at Texas, he is ready to compete for the power forward position while saying it's not about proving he deserved to be the fourth pick in the draft.

"I'm a self-starter, a self motivator," Thompson said. "So the whole 'going number four motivation' ... I don't look at it that way. It's just a number."

With Irving and Thompson to build upon, the franchise has at long last begun the rebuilding process. There's a glut of point guards and power forwards, but Grant stressed that his work is not done. The free agency period looms, as does a potential NBA lockout.

"There's still pieces of our team we need to move around," Grant said. "That's what the next step is -- free agency. We'll continue to address those needs as we move forward, but we were able to add two very good young men to our team."

Dribbles: Grant explained further why Cavaliers opted to trade their 32nd pick, Justin Harper, to Orlando for two future second-round picks. In essence, the Cavaliers need veteran help more than another rookie. "We're likely to get a better player to add to the position we need in free agency," he said. "For us it was a pretty simple decision." ... ESPN's draft telecast earned the highest rating since 2007. Cleveland was the top viewing market, with a local rating of 5.6. Nationally, it earned a 2.4 rating, averaging 3,202,000 viewers, the most since 1996. ... Irving, on his reaction to being the No. pick: "After my name was called I wanted to hug my father for 10 minutes, knowing that all the hard work had led to this moment."

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